LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Crucifest!!)

Extreme metal fans will want to circle the last weekend of July on their calendars, as Crucifest comes to Robbie Adamson's old church in nearby Leeburn on Friday, July 26th! A spiritual successor to the late 2010s Oh!No festivals at the same locale (not to mention the technically private Bear Hunters reunion event there last July), Crucifest is brought to us by new local promoters Deciduous Events & Decor (a.k.a. D.E.A.D. and formerly Events By Vann), a decor company that launched in 2022 and has worked for clients from Southern Ontario to our neck of the woods. They have recently decided to branch out into promoting their own events, with Crucifest being their first proper concert that I'm aware of. It'll be interesting to see how well this does, and if it leads to more from Courtney & Jessica in a local concert environment! While more acts are allegedly to be announced, nine bands are already signed, including five touring acts!

Perhaps owing to the long pandemic-affected gap since we had a regular local extreme metal promoter here, all five touring bands will be making their local debuts at Crucifest. Given how local bands are mixed in, I'm unsure if the poster layout is indicative of the performance order, but the five out-of-town bands are Toronto deathcore quartet Beguiler, Ottawa death metal quintet Salem Trials, Peterborough "beatdown/core" quartet Seagrave, Sudbury hardcore band Drugwolf, and newer Kitchener metalcore band Dead Roots. There's a lot of ground to cover between these bands, but there's lots of talent and brutality within, so give all five a listen to prepare yourself for the metal attack in two months! Of the four local bands, two will be familiar to 2020s concert goers, including punk/thrash trio Hails (who played at The Bear Hunters' private event in Leeburn last year) and young metal trio The BAG in (I believe) their first show outside of city limits.

Also playing at Crucifest are local death/thrash metal band Pillory in their first announced public concert in almost five years! Fans/friends may recall seeing occasional social media teasers and false starts towards Pillory resuming as a live act (they were even briefly advertised for The Bear Hunters' private Leeburn event last year), but it looks like they are definitely back now! As you may recall, Pillory were originally active off & on from 2012-2019, and they still feature frontman Robert Sartini (recently of Pointless and All Over The Map) on vocals & guitar alongside ex-Lazer Queen/Issues drummer Bret Shuttleworth. No word on their current bassist, but Blair St. John filled in for their last few late 2010s sets. In the past year, Bret has posted dozens of solo drumming videos to his YouTube channel (look at his setup!), and a handful of videos were uploaded two months ago of him and Robert playing some metal covers.

These include bass-less renditions of Sepultura's "Territory",  Megadeth's "Youthanasia", and as embedded below, Pantera's "Use My Third Arm". Sounds good and faithful to me, but these are not technical death metal songs, as we were hearing from Pillory in the mid-late 2010s. Is this a sign of a shift to their earlier sound or just them jamming some covers? In any event, it's great to see Robert and Bret back at it, and don't bypass Bret's ample solo drumming videos too, as he's got serious chops (with that kit, he'd have to!). Pillory are back in our active band links, and check out theirs & Bret's new videos above and below!

The other band playing at Crucifest (so far) are a debuting local metal band named The Sault Side Squad, and while they currently lack social media pages or videos, their lineup is full of familiar faces! I can confirm that they feature ex-As It Stands singer Justin "Nadj" Pregent, A Dire Setback guitarist Chris Nielsen, former Jack Spades/Sativa Rose guitarist Anthony Orazietti, Skinbox/Stoned To Deaf alum Jordan Wardlaw on bass, and Anthony's old Winkstinger bandmate Jonas Gasperas on drums. We await further specifics, but given Justin's past vocal style (his recent rap career aside), I'd expect The Sault Side Squad to have hardcore influences. Very impressive lineup, and it'll be interesting to hear how The S.S.S. do in July and beyond! The listed times for Crucifest on the Eventbrite ticket sale page are 8:00 PM-2:00 AM, but there are separate tickets for Saturday, July 27th on sale for the same price as Friday alone.

The listed times imply that bands will only be playing on the 26th, which is how we're currently treating it, but if D.E.A.D. confirm that the lineup is split up with bands on Saturday the 27th too, we will let you know (the Saturday pass may only be for campers' benefit). In any event, tickets cost $25 per day and $45 for both days plus, and there are no advertised cover charges, so click here to buy yours! In what's shaping up to be a big year for summer camping-encouraged concert festivals, Crucifest will deliver the goods for fans who've found extreme metal to be lacking in the Soo as of late, so definitely visit the above links for complete details on what's going on 53 minutes east of the Soo at 5756 Highway 638, and we'll have more on another Leeburn-bound concert festival tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Nothern Lights Festival Boreal Meltdown Review & Results!!

Hey everyone, here's my review of last night's Northern Lights Festival Boreal Meltdown audition/battle of the bands at LopLops Lounge! I haven't missed attending a judged local battle of the bands since the Algoma University Battle in late 2009, so even with late lineup notice, how could I resist? Of course, this event was held and designed by organizers of the NLFB, which is the annual folk/indie music festival in Sudbury each July, which has been going on since 1972, so you know this is a big and established deal. Festival staff were on hand to promote the NLFB, sell tickets, seek volunteers, and sign up attendees on their mailing list (complete with a raffle for festival passes), and hopefully this western outreach pays off come July! Even Sudbury's own Stack Brewery was on hand to dole out beverages for the night. Judging the battle were SooToday's Donna Hopper alongside NLFB executive director Max Merrifield (who MCed the Meltdown), outreach coordinator Krisha Patel, and marketing coordinator Shawn Kosmerly, plus Sudbury music scene veteran Darlene DarlenYa.

Before we begin our review of the performers, just a heads up that one previously announced band dropped out of the event, they being progressive rock veterans Machines Dream, the advertised closing act. The band cited "unforeseen circumstances" for their withdrawal, as per their Facebook page, and though they didn't elaborate further, note that they have been focusing on studio work since their Rotaryfest set last summer, and don't appear to be playing live until their teased CD release party later this year. It's still disappointing to see them drop out, but hopefully Machines Dream are back with a vengeance soon!

Performers only had 15-20 minute sets, so as bands averaged around 4 songs each, apologies if I seem to sum things up quickly. The opening act at the Meltdown was local folk singer/guitarist M.D. Dunn in a rare appearance at a local battle-formatted event from a solo performer. He played a short 3 song set, including originals named "Master of Doubt" and "Solace", plus an instrumental titled "Barnswallowing", and while his style isn't something I hear a lot of, his singing was pleasant and melodic, and he is a solid guitarist in this more reserved, laid back style! I wish he had played longer though, as all of the other bands played at least one more song, and none of them had an instrumental. Next up was alternative/hard rockers Id Iota (the only quartet of the night, believe it or not), and they powered through a 4 (well, sort of 5) song set of newer originals like "Happy Sailor" that got early fans moving!

Their first song had a definite late era-Chili Peppers vibe, while their second song was much faster and heavier, but I wish they announced song names a little more. Christian Lemay handled vocals and the melodica with ease, and everyone had good energy, especially bassist Dan Linklater. Good stuff all around, and it'll be interesting to hear how things shape up for their forthcoming full length CD! Third last night was local pop rock singer/guitarist Mike Mikus, in the first time I've seen his current solo project live, so what can I say? Well, in terms of his backing band, it was a surprise throwback to his old deal's final lineup, as he's replaced drummer Mitchell Harris with Pixo Control bandmate Keeghan Rosso, which was a nice surprise! Nothing bad happened with Mike and Mitch, as you'll see later in the review. Mike and crew (including Id Iota's Dustin Goodall) played a four song set included his debut solo original "Drowning Crown" and three more newer originals.

The latter two had more of an alternative/indie essence, but the second song (possibly titled "Electric Kiss"?) sounded like a Pixo Control outtake, with a very heavy and fast structure, which was really cool to see! I can't say whether Mike is trying to find his solo sound, or if he's intentionally varying things in his current music, but there was a little of everything, and hopefully he keeps at it in 2017! After a 10 minute break (the Meltdown was running ahead of schedule), newer local indie rock trio The Autumn Roots hit the stage in their LopLops debut, where they played a 5 song set including such originals as "Moon Song", "The North", and "Falling Down". A drummer wouldn't come amiss for their quickly expanding slate of material, but The Autumn Roots had a solid set, with Jeremy Hannah's melodic vocals fitting their songs well, and he and Chase Wigmore have a good rapport on guitar! Chase was really getting into it during their set, almost as if there was a metal show going on in his head.

Greg "Carlos" Carscadden needs to be more animated on stage, but overall, The Autumn Roots have a good thing going for their sound, and it'll be interesting to see how things shape up for them as this year rolls along! Local alternative/hard rock trio The Din hit the stage next, looking for their first battle of the bands victory in their fifth try, and they delivered an entertaining four song set including "High Park", "35s The Limit', and "Potato (Should Have Known Better)", with all but the latter expected for their next album. I've seen The Din a lot lately, so I don't have a lot to add (especially with their short set), but they played to their standards, with Tammy Hill's guitar work on point, and Brandan Glew kept the rhythm going well on drums, but be sure to check out The Din at upcoming shows when they're not as time-limited! The audition closed with local folk artist and Ears & Eyes promoter Jackson Reed playing a solo set, as joined by Mike Mikus on bass and his former solo and Fever Tops bandmate Mitchell Harris on drums.

Jackson and crew played a 4 song set largely culled from his "November Gales" cassette EP from last fall, including "Generation Vietnam" and "Welcome Home". I'd never seen Jackson perform live before last night, and if I had to compare his sound to anyone, I sort of got hints of Bob Dylan and Randy Newman from his sincere folksy originals, though he could stand to be a little more confident on stage. Mike's backing vocals could be a little distracting, but overall, Jackson has a good thing going for his genres, and ended the Meltdown in fine form! Afterwards, judges deliberated the winner, and when Max came back to the stage to make the announcement, he did acknowledge that this was a very tough decision, and it was like comparing apples & oranges. With all of that said, who won The Northern Lights Festival Boreal's first ever Sault Ste. Marie audition?

M.D. DUNN! Yes, Mark D. Dunn has claimed the surprise victory in the Meltdown, and has won the all expenses paid trip to Sudbury in July to play at this year's NLFB, as well as opportunities to participate in musical mentorship programs that same weekend. Congratulations to Mark on his victory, he's a talented veteran presence in the local music scene, and this is a nice feather in his cap, so hopefully he makes lots of fans out east! On the surface, this is an upset win given that he had no backing band, played first, and only played three songs, but his talents are clear as day, and Max did note in his introduction that the judging critera also included suitability for the festival lineup. Given their usual genre range, M.D. is a very good fit for the NLFB, and should fit in very well! Runner-up placements were not publically announced, nor were prizes for second place and beyond, but hopefully second place is considered if there's a vacancy at some stage!

For what it's worth, pre-audition advertising noted that there would be two winners in solo and band categories, but that was not the case, possibly as M.D. Dunn was the only true solo performer on the bill (Mike and Jackson had backing bassists and drummers with them.)

Kudos to everyone on strong performances last night, and the turnout was solid too, despite the relatively late notice on the competing bands! After the battle, Id Iota and Mike Mikus played bonus sets, but I couldn't stay for them, though I hope they continued to rock the lounge as well as they did during the battle proper! Surprisingly, this was the first local battle of the bands with judges where I was just a spectator since Downtown Showdown in 2010, so I was in full reviewer/photographer mode, and you can check out my shots from the Meltdown at this link or via our Facebook page! As for videos, I got everyone's first song, so here's M.D. Dunn playing his song "Master of Doubt", Id Iota playing "Intro To American Literature", Mike Mikus playing "Drowning Crown", The Autumn Roots playing "Rock Bottom", The Din playing "Suburban Dream", and Jackson Reed playing "Generation Vietnam"!













That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

Halloween Nightmare Concert Review!!

I'm back from out of town, and as promised, I hit up last night's Halloween Nightmare concert at The Rednecks Saloon! I missed most of a packed weekend for hard rock shows, but I wanted to make it to something, and I picked a good one, as 4 bands rocked out last night at the former Nicolet Tavern, though as this was a Monday night, attendance was only so-so. Likewise, costume participation wasn't as universal as I assume it was on Friday and Saturday, but there were some fun getups, and I dug out a viking helmet for the occasion!

After a half hour delay, the opening band last night was The Autumn Roots, the debuting indie rock band featuring former March Into Regression bandmates Jeremy Hannah and Travis St. Amour (the latter in Game of Thrones mode for his costume), plus bassist Greg Carscadden. Musically, if you're familiar with Jeremy's old band Like Father Like Son (a.k.a. Ocean View & The North Shore), then you'll know The Autumn Roots' general sound, though this band played new originals for at least most of their set, including "Back to the North", "The Sink", and "Means & Circumstance". Despite a cold, Jeremy's voice wasn't too affected during their set, which was proficient and a solid launch for this new band, though some of their songs seemed to get repetitive, Travis' drumming was often too loud in the mix, and Greg was very stiff throughout. Indie fans should enjoy The Autumn Roots though, and it'll be interesting to see what's next for them!

Though advertised on the poster as headlining, local classic metal quintet Project 421 swapped places with sister band Eclipse due to early work commitments for guitarist Frank McGillivray, so 421 played second, roughly giving the last three bands a chronological order by date of their covers! A planned Iron Maiden cover was dropped due to time constraints, but Project 421 still delivered a solid set featuring covers of the likes of Diamond Head, Poison, and Van Halen, as well as originals like "No One Rides For Free" and their newest track "Running Away". No costumes here, just a straight forward blast of nostalgic metal and hard rock, with Curtis McKenzie's vocals on point, and both Frank and Blair Burch nailing some solid solos throughout, while Daniel Horton kept up the energy on bass, even playing with a beer bottle at one point! The Rednecks stage seemed very crowded with the 5 of them, but Project 421 delivered nicely!

Funk/hard rock cover quartet The Elements hit the stage next for their second Halloween show in three nights, and while I can't confirm their Saturday lineup, they once again had Winkstinger's Jonas Gasperas on drums in place of Alex Hagerman, and saxophonist Josh Norling again played as a guest for the whole set. Arguably the band most playing up to the Halloween themes, guitarist Jesse Cook broke out a banana costume, while frontman Rob Speers wore a dragon costume for the set's first half, both of which were fun to see! The Elements played a set that was full of 1990s rock covers, no doubt similarly to Saturday's tribute band set, with bands like Primus, Rage Against the Machine, and Sublime getting the Elements touch, plus originals like "G20". Fun set, with Rob even leaving the stage to mingle with fans and even jump onto some tables, while fans even got to vote between the "Ax Man" and the "Sax Man" late. Bassist James White could have been a little more animated, but The Elements delivered a fun set!

Headlining last night to cap off the Halloween Nightmare was local hard/modern rock quartet Eclipse, who traded in their System of a Down tribute set from Saturday night (complete with band member costumes!) for a more varied set tackling bands like Seether and Billy Talent, plus their own originals like "Tyranny", and they got a good reception despite not even starting until 1:30 AM! I couldn't stay for the whole set, but Curtis, Daniel, and drummer Chris Thompson picked up where they left off with Project 421 with energy and enthusiasm (not to mention a less crowded stage), while bassist Fred Dunn played to his strengths throughout, and even broke out a skull mask early on! Nice touch by Curt & Dan to change their shirts for this set too, as this was a different band, after all. Hopefully Eclipse continue on this path and add/revive some more originals in short order!

Overall, this was a fun capper to the Halloween season, and all four bands delivered a solid set! It would have been nice to see more band members dress up (not to mention, attendees), but I know it was a Monday night, and that many people focused on weekend events instead. You can check out our videos from the show at this link or via our Facebook page, and as for our videos, here's The Autumn Roots playing their song "Wanderlust", Project 421 covering Dio's "Rainbow in the Dark", The Elements covering Pearl Jam's "Even Flow", and Eclipse covering Seether's "Remedy"!









That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

Woods Of Ypres - "Woods III: The Deepest Roots & Darkest Blues" Review!!

It's now time for our 39th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and this month, we're looking at defunct local blackened doom metal standouts Woods of Ypres' third album "Woods III: The Deepest Roots & Darkest Blues"! Released on January 3rd, 2008, this album was recorded at Obsidian Sound Studios & Chemical Sound Studios in Toronto in 2006 & 2007, and it was their last black metal-centric studio album, their last studio album released through Krankenhaus Records, & their last album before relocating to Sault Ste. Marie. On this CD, Woods of Ypres were represented by the late David Gold on vocals, guitar, and drums, alongside producer Dan Hulse on bass & backing vocals, and "Woods II" returnee Jessica Rose on the keyboard. Though currently not in print, "W3" can be purchased officially through iTunes at this location, and CD copies of the album are fairly easy to track down online! There might be some local copies floating around too, and while it can be found online in various free forms (each song title below is linked to a YouTube upload of it), I'd still pick the CD up to support David's memory & the band's work!

Note as well that this will be our last review of a Woods of Ypres studio album (as we've already reviewed the other 4), but we should begin reviewing their singles & compilations next year. With 15 songs clocking in at over 72 minutes of music, this could be a long one, so let's begin with the opening track!

"Woods III" opens with the album's single "The Northern Cold", which opens with sounds of nature and the forest before launching into a guitar and keyboard intro which leads into harsh black metal vocals and a quickening pace and solidly fast drumming. Oddly starting with the chorus first before any verses, we get a nice mix of David's clean vocals and Dan's backing death growls conveying well the love of the northern cold and why exactly David feels at home there. The balance of singing styles is really well done, and the backing music is catchy and mixes melodic styling and heavy riffs & drumming really well! That said, the keyboards aren't too clear on heavier stretches, and the lack of a guitar solo is disappointing (as it will be on the rest of the CD), but "The Northern Cold" is a great & catchy black metal song that feels like a natural extension of Woods of Ypres' early roots in the genre, while also hinting at their doom metal future in many ways, so this is a solid start to their third album!

Second on the CD is "Iron Grudge", which starts off in very heavy fashion with very fast and brutal black metal riffing and drumming, and it shows Woods of Ypres in very brutal fashion with some welcome orchestral elements thrown in! Lyrically referring to holding an "iron grudge" against an unnamed opposer, this song feels like something that might have been on "Against the Seasons" had David been the band's frontman at the time, judging by it's extra melody and shorter length, and as it's a straightforward black metal song, there's no clean vocals to be found. That said, "Iron Grudge" does feel repetitive after a while, and a guitar solo or a softer section would have helped to break it up. As well, the vocals are a bit too quiet, but this is an effectively brutal black metal song that fans of Woods of Ypres' early output should eat up!

Song #3 is "Your Ontario Town Is A Burial Ground", which is arguably the most popular song locally from "W3", despite it's lyrical content alluding to Sault Ste. Marie as one of many northern "burial grounds" that some dislike or aspire to leave. The truth and real feelings behind the song can be debated, but the song's entertainment value can't be, in my opinion! Aside from a late harshly-sung verse & some backing growls, this song is largely done cleanly & resembles a sped up version of Woods of Ypres' later releases, with a slower intro, melodic guitar & keyboard melodies, and deep clean vocals that show David's improving range nicely! "Your Ontario Town..." is helped by being very catchy and easy to get into & sing along with, and while it's not overly heavy, the feelings & themes ring a bell and do keep my attention! Dan's bass work stands out as well, and while it's not a terribly risky song, it's easy to see why "Your Ontario Town..." was the only "W3" song to survive in the band's 2010-2011 setlists, given it's catchy heaviness & interesting messages!

Fourth on "The Deepest Roots..." is "Through Chaos & Solitude I Came...", another heavy black metal number that does hint in atmosphere and clean vocals to their later doom material! Lyrically alluding to life on the road and David's connection to black metal & the north, this feels more like what "Iron Grudge" should have with a more broken up and melodic take on black metal, and the band are firing on most cylinders here! David's singing & drumming are as good as you'd expect at this point, and Dan's bass work is heavy and low to go with everything, and my only real musical quibble (guitar solos aside) is that Jessica should have been a bit louder here. Still, this is one of the early highlights on "Woods III", and it blends Woods of Ypres' old & new styles really well!

That's followed by "Years of Silence (and the Private Joke)", a song which seems to allude to the breakdown of a relationship & how only they knew that they'd become the joke in question. Building gradually into a very melodic (but up-tempo) metal song, with David singing at different tempos and emotional levels, only minimally using black metal influences. While different from it's surrounding tracks, the members are playing at a high level with nice melodies and solid keyboard work, and it has an oddly happy mood at points, so it works on that basis! That said, if you're looking for a heavier and more brutal song, this isn't it. Sixth is "Distractions of Living Alone", a 6 minute+ black metal number about the somewhat grim thought processes and feelings developed from living alone. A very slowly paced first half alludes to future output musically, before increasing in heaviness and black metal intensity midway through, before changing back to a slower (if more epic) closing stretch, which helps this song not drag despite it's length. This is a very well done and thought out song by all members, and it does have a lonely vibe to it, with a sound that should appeal to all eras of Woods of Ypres fans, even if it's not the most positive song!

The seventh & eighth songs are "Deepest Roots: The Belief That All Is Lost" & "Darkest Blues: The Relief That Nothing Can Be Done", which are essentially one long 7 minute track about mortality & how life would exist without you, with other intriguing northern elements. Despite being broken in two parts, like the opening songs on "Against the Seasons", I think it'd be best to review them as one complete song. Abruptly beginning with black metal vocals and a slow swinging melody, the pace slowly builds to a soft clean section that seems too timid for the genre, before reverting to the earlier feel. The "Deepest Roots" section, barely 2:12 in length, doesn't stand on it's own well as more than an intro, but things pick up greatly in the "Darkest Blues" portion, unleashing into a black metal fury with plenty of aggression and great bass work and blasting drums! The choruses are really catchy, and Jessica's keyboard parts really add to the atmosphere of "Darkest Blues", including a solo-ish section late, which I welcome! The last 40 seconds or so take on a dirge-like doomy quality, which add a nice ending to this 7 minute epic, which covered a lot of ground! You guys are best served to listen to these tracks together, but split up, "Deepest Roots" doesn't stand on it's own compared to "Darkest Blues" and it's brutal intensity.

Next on "Woods III" is "The Thrill of the Struggle", which seems to be about striving to live and move on despite a breakup of a relationship, and embracing the related challenges. It leads from a soft guitar intro into a black metal fury with nicely audible keyboard accompaniment and suitably aggressive singing! The choruses are promising and have a nice hook, but the vocals strike me as too layered into the music. The song is great for fans of Woods of Ypres' black metal era, but the vocals are inconsistent late, with too loud backing vocals and way too low clean singing on the first "Brutal North" section, but the music is at a high level throughout, and the drumming and riffs are great as I'd expect! Never boring, "The Thrill of the Struggle" is an well done black metal song with great lyrics, but if only the vocals stayed consistent throughout! Tenth is "December in Windsor", a song that alludes to flashbacks to an event in David's life in Windsor in December 2002, and what it helped lead to years later. A melodic and softer song, it feels almost like a more developed version of  "Shedding the Deadwood" from "Woods II", and it has that folkier feel while integrating some heaviness in the backing music. Short enough to not get repetitive, this song succeeds at it's aims, and it's got a laid back (yet serious) feel that works, but black metal fans may not get it.

The eleventh track is "Trillium: The Third of Three Winters, 2004-2007", which is notable as the only recorded instrumental by Woods of Ypres for one of their album releases! A slower black metal instrumental (until the last minute), it has many swings in mood and heaviness, and it's full of great guitar riffing and soft keyboard backing, along with solid drumming and pounding bass, but it feels like a song that was intended to have vocals at one point before being removed from the final product. Still, "Trillium" is an effective instrumental that Woods of Ypres fans should readily enjoy, especially if you loved their early output! That's followed by "Song of Redemption", another ballad-esque original which is themed around an older man trying to redeem himself for past mistakes by playing a song from his youth. Like "December in Windsor", it has a laid back style without getting depressing, yet it's lyrics have a serious vibe of reflection, but unlike that song, there's more metal influences & piano audibility, with the latter half of the song building more and more while maintaining the soft feel. It's my favourite of the softer songs on "Woods III" for it's diversity and length, but if you crave harsh vocals, the drought for that continues here.

Thirteenth is "End of Tradition", which opens with Jessica playing a graceful piano opening for about 30 seconds before the full band launches into gear. Lyrically referring to cutting long-standing relationship ties (the tradition in question), the song takes on a slower but heavy vibe early before reintroducing black metal vocals and some welcome aggression and intensity with fast paced drumming, but the clean singing on this track seems tired & unenergetic. The bass work seems to blend with the music early as well, but the second half of the song is much stronger than the first half, with more variance and anger, despite the lacking clean singing. "End of Tradition" is well done, but not consistent, and I'd like to see the energy of the second half applied to the vocals and the first half to make it an album highlight. Second last on "W3" is "To Lock Eyes With A Wild Beast", a strongly worded track calling out those who falsely believe they're who they're not. Aggressive from the start with venomous harsh singing and great pounding riffs and drumming, Taking pages from their future doom sound midway through the track, this song goes through different speeds and moods to convey it's message, including some out of place clean singing & a sudden ending, but it all adds up to a brutal black metal track that should impress and get the blood boiling!

Finally on "Woods III" is "Mistakes Artists Make (The Dream Is Dead)", a seeming indictment on making it in the music industry and the errors and setbacks along the way. Opening very heavily with nice orchestral keyboard work and a black metal fury. The black metal parts are great and fit the moods of earlier songs, but with better keyboard parts (or at least louder ones), but the clean vocals sound somewhat tired again. It's odd that the album ends on such a critical note relating to the music industry, but "Mistakes Artists Make" has the requisite fury and moods to match up with earlier songs, and the soft outro helps end this album on a warm & well performed note!

So, how do I grade Woods of Ypres' third album? Well, let me just say this first: This is my favourite Woods of Ypres studio album. To me, "W3" reaches the best of both worlds, incorporating the best of Woods of Ypres' black metal beginnings and their doom metal final years, striking a generally good balance between harsh northern black metal and more melodic and intricate styles of the genre! I'm not a scholar of black metal compared to some other genres, but Woods of Ypres hit the right note here to correct many issues of their other albums, including lots of melody, few empty stretches, and not many depressing themes. For the performers themselves, David Gold was really starting to come into his own here as a clean vocalist, and his harsh singing was more refined and clear than those of his old bandmates on "Against the Seasons", while his guitar and drum work flowed really well throughout this release! Dan Hulse proved a qualified bassist (and producer) in his only Woods album appearance, with his death metal backing growls usually adding nicely to the songs, while Jessica Rose's keyboard work was very good when clearly audible, and it's a shame she didn't stick around on future releases!

That all said, there are things I'd change despite my enjoyment of "Woods III". The clean singing definitely seemed to wear out and get tired late in the album, while some of the mixes left some instruments buried amongst the other performers (especially the keyboard early on.) Largest of all to me was the lack of guitar solos, which weren't on Woods of Ypres' prior 2 albums either, but they'd have helped to put this album even further up the ladder than it is. Knowing the solos that Bryan Belleau & Joel Violette supplied on their last 2 CDs, it's fun to speculate how they'd have added to or changed the "W3" material had they played guitar solos on them. Still, this is by far my favourite Woods CD, and reflecting back on it now, it does serve as somewhat of a transitional release between the band's Southern Ontario black metal era & their Northern Ontario doom metal era. It's disappointing that this album wasn't well represented at future Woods concerts (I think only 4 songs on the CD were played live), but hopefully it and Woods of Ypres' other studio albums continue to live on in the metal community for a long time to come, and hopefully somewhere, David knows how loved and respected Woods of Ypres remain to this day!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review at the SMS! So, what's coming up next week? I'm not sure, but of course, a new release will gain precedence. For new albums, "Dragon Joy Ride" by Haggith has been gaining the most buzz in recent weeks in terms of an imminent release, but I've heard talk from acts like The Hubbard-Menard Band across the river too, not to mention the various albums from our monthly "Where Are The New Albums?" series, so who knows what's on the horizon? If nothing new comes out by Halloween, we'll dip into the archives, but for what album? I'm leaning towards "Let The Hammers Fly" (pictured), the initial 2008 demo by defunct local hardcore quartet Detroit, as their drummer is playing in town at the end of the month (more on that in a future news post.) Things would change if something new comes out, so stay tuned to the SMS for any possible updates on our next CD review as they come in, and stay tuned for more news and notes shortly! Thanks everyone!